


Bonds of Gold

by astraplain



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-29
Updated: 2015-05-29
Packaged: 2018-04-01 18:52:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4030813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astraplain/pseuds/astraplain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was just the Master, his two magpies, and this beautiful, terrible swan</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bonds of Gold

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by a video of Johnny Weir skating with Denis Petukhov, Jennifer Wester and Keauna McLaughlin on the final episode of Skating with the Stars  
> The video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIvc46riE9s

The Master rubbed his bare ring finger feeling the phantom weight of the ring he'd sold a few hours earlier. Across his lap was a long gold chain and a gold-accented collar.

The swan glowered at him from his golden cage, green eyes alert and wary.

Outside, the magpies fluttered and fretted, worried for their master and resentful at being sent out.

"Perhaps desperation and loneliness has finally driven me mad," the master said to no one. The swan didn't move, his hands clutching the bars and his body perched to escape at the first opportunity. It had been like this for five weeks now, and showed no signs of changing.

The ring had been the last piece of her - the last precious token of his late wife, gone nearly three years now. The traveling show had been their dream and it had slowly taken everything - even her. Now all that was left was this caravan and one other. The  
performers had gone on to other shows - ones that could afford to give them salaries, not just broken promises.

It was just him, his two magpies, and this beautiful, terrible swan.

The magpies had found the swan in a berry thicket, ill and disoriented. The master never could have caged him if he were healthy and alert.

Maggie and Peggy had done their best to feed and tend the swan, but he was too desperate to fly free again to appreciate their efforts. Still, he never snapped at them, not even when they wore their human forms. It was only the master he seemed ready to take revenge on - the master had the wounds to prove it.

Somehow, in ways the master himself didn't understand, this only made the swan more appealing. As a bird he was beautiful - sleek feathers so black they looked iridescent, with a long, elegant neck and mesmerizing green eyes. But in his human form he was breathtaking. And for the first time since his wife died, the master _wanted_.

He loved his loyal magpies, his beautiful, broken girls who had come to him in desperation, seeking an escape from poverty and abuse. He had given into their pleading and changed them into the creatures they were now - beings able to be bird or human without ever being complete in either form. His wife had loved them as he had - like daughters - but they couldn't warm his empty bed or soothe his aching soul. And as much as he loved them, he wouldn't even consider wanting them like he ached for the beautiful swan.

He'd done what he could to soothe the swan, to show him he meant no harm, but the bars of the cage proved him a liar and the swan wasn't fooled. The chain was the master's desperate effort to find a compromise. The cage was too small for the swan to lie down in, he could only crouch or kneel when in human form. He'd still have to be in it for shows - they needed money after all - but at least the chain would give him more freedom when they were alone - both to rest and to attack. The master could only hope that if it was the latter, the swan would give him a quick death.

"I've made you a more comfortable bed or you can share mine. Neither one is much, but it's what I have to offer." The master reached through the bars of the cage and caught the swan, fastening the collar quickly and efficiently while ignoring the hissing - he'd gotten used to ignoring that.

"I'm going to open the door now. The chain is attached so don't move too quickly or you'll hurt yourself."

The swan watched him warily but didn't make any sudden movements as the door was opened . He stepped out daintily, his eyes darting here and there as he assessed everything and determined its potential for helping him escape. The master waited patiently until the swan relaxed and took a seat on the edge of the bed. He reached over and took the master's pillow, fluffing it and arranging it before dropping back onto it and claiming all the blankets. He gave the master one last glare, then closed his eyes and seemed to fall asleep.

The master fastened the other end of the chain around his wrist and cast the sealing spell that would keep both ends secure. Seeing the swan stretched out across the whole bed, he shrugged and settled into the makeshift nest on the floor feeling that everything was going to get better.

And maybe it would have, if he hadn't fallen in love.

He tolerated the nest for two more days before deciding he'd had enough of sleepless nights and a sore back. When the swan settled into bed that night, the master shoved him over to one side and climbed in beside him. The swan hissed and flapped at him, but wasn't willing to give up the bed for the nest either. In the end they'd left it as a draw and turned their backs to each other before falling sleep.

In the morning, the swan was in the master's arms, and the magpies were glaring at the both of them.

If he'd had any sense, the master would have freed the swan right then. His hand was on the chain more than once to make it happen. But each time he stopped, good sense overruled by selfish desire.

Which is why Maggie and Peggy betrayed him.

It was just after a show - their most successful one yet - when the master was distracted by the gold coins in his pocket. He went to the caravan to put the money away and when he returned, the magpies were in front of the golden cage. The door was open and the swan stood there in his full glory, a magnificent, terrible creature.

The master ran forward, desperate, but the swan dodged him easily. He toyed with them all, letting them know they would pay for holding him captive.

Once, just once, the master caught a few feathers. He held them, grasping desperately to keep his precious swan. Behind him the magpies chittered in remorse. The swan lifted both arms and brought them down letting the master feel the wind and get a taste of the freedom of flight he'd never feel before pulling away.

The master ran, his heart breaking as his love raced ahead, transforming into an exquisite, dark outline against the setting sun. There was a flash of green as the bird circled once, looking directly at him before flying away.

The master dropped to his knees and wept. He didn't look up again until the sun was gone and the blackness of night was all around him.

He raised his arms to embrace it.

+++++

In the morning, the gold chain was gone, and in its place was the gold wedding band his wife had given him so long ago. Maggie placed it in his hand, and Peggy touched his head. The kissed him once and left him alone to mourn. He didn't realize that they were saying good-bye until he went to look for them hours later and found himself completely alone.

After five days, the master went to the lake at sunset and walked in until the water covered his head. The water was warmer than he expected, and felt like a comforting embrace. The blackness beckoned and he went willingly, hoping he'd see his beautiful swan.

When he woke in the morning, green eyes were looking down at him and his head was resting on thin, muscular thighs. The master reached up with one hand to touch the familiar, beautiful face. From outside he could hear the magpies singing cheerfully. He was so mesmerized by his beloved's green eyes that he didn't even notice the emerald that now adorned his gold wedding band.

::end::


End file.
